Posted by A on December 25, 2005 at 13:48:33 from 72.136.51.111 user Adam.
In Reply to: Re: Approaching Ransome (was Enid Blyton beats AR hands down) posted by Peter H on December 23, 2005 at 16:17:27:
How original is Peter Duck (the sailor, not the book)? Was the idea for him inspired by Hugh Lofting's character 'Ben Butcher' (another know-all mariner)?
I thought that Peter Duck was based on The Ancient Mariner of "Racundra's First Cruise", a Baltic sailor name of Semel. Certainly there are similarities, for example, a calming influence on a keen but perhaps over enthusiastic skipper.